The emperor's eyes were half-closed, and the heroic spirit that had been gathering on his face instantly dissipated.

The pavilion was built over the lake, with rolling mountains and trees stretching out behind the emperor amidst drifting clouds. The scorching sunlight was stripped away layer by layer, and by the time it reached the emperor's golden apricot-yellow dragon robe, it was a dull white light.

The dragon's face, hidden in the dim white light, appeared even more strikingly white with its hair. Jade may be re-set, but people can never reunite; only new faces have replaced the jade-like countenance of yesteryear.

He vaguely recalled the scene when he and the old lady presented him with the jade and broke it. The two women he had deeply loved in his life had treated him in the same way. One was now separated by death, and the other he would never see again.

Consort Rong remained dignified and virtuous, sitting beside the Emperor with a gentle expression, like a Bodhisattva frozen in place.

Yan Ning stood beside Fukang'an, disregarding religious etiquette, and held Fukang'an's hand tightly.

Fukang'an glanced back at her, signaling her to relax. Yan Ning was puzzled; why did his expression remain as calm and composed as Consort Rong's?

After a long while, the Emperor opened his eyes, his gaze towards Yan Ning becoming much calmer. "Your mother has excellent taste; this jade hairpin suits you perfectly!"

After speaking, the Emperor rose and left, and Consort Rong immediately rose and knelt to pay her respects. The Emperor brushed past Yan Ning, who broke out in a cold sweat and felt weak, needing Fukang'an's support to stand.

She looked at Fukang'an, wanting to ask what the jade hairpin had to do with the Emperor, but he handed her to the palace maid beside him and then followed the Emperor away.

The imperial procession, now adorned in bright yellow, was nothing like the grand procession that had arrived. How could the eunuchs carrying heavy loads compare to the emperor, who was unburdened? They ran after him as fast as they could.

The straight-handled nine-dragon umbrella swayed and weaved through the green foliage. Yan Ning knew without a doubt that the arms of the eunuchs holding the umbrellas must be sore and swollen today.

Back at Xinghua Spring Pavilion, Consort Rong ordered someone to remove Yan Ning's damp and sticky clothes. Yan Ning looked at Consort Rong with some gratitude. She was still sweating from the fright she had put on in the pavilion, and although there were flower umbrellas to shelter her from the wind, she was still covered in sweat.

Upon arriving at the side hall, Consort Rong's personal maid, Fei Yun, who was already acquainted with Yan Ning, brought a basin of hot water to wipe away the sweat from Yan Ning's body before having the maid dress Yan Ning in clean clothes.

After Yan Ning finished getting ready, her pounding heart finally calmed down. She took the jade hairpin from her hair. When Fukang'an gave her the hairpin that day, she hadn't thought much of it. But today, the Emperor's reaction to seeing the hairpin made her examine it closely.

This jade hairpin is made of top-grade mutton fat jade. Although the peony carved on it is lifelike, the poorly carved stamens are the flaw of this jade hairpin. The translucent and crystal clear nature of mutton fat jade also obscures the delicate intertwined stamens.

Yan Ning had seen plenty of such fine mutton-fat jade in the Fucha mansion, so she didn't find anything special about this jade. If the jade itself wasn't special, then the person who gave it to her must be special.

Judging from the Emperor's reaction today, this jade must have been given to the Old Madam by him, but why would the Old Madam give it to herself to wear?

Yan Ning was completely baffled, so she decided to go to the main hall to ask Consort Rong. Consort Rong's calm demeanor today made Yan Ning guess that she must know something.

The palace maids of Xinghuachun Pavilion were already familiar with her. When they saw her come to the main hall, they simply curtsied and lifted the beaded curtain to let her in.

There was no sign of Consort Rong in the main hall or the sleeping quarters. Feixia, who had returned to retrieve Consort Rong's cloak, saw Yan Ning and curtsied with a slight smile, saying, "Her Majesty asked me to invite Madam to the Apricot Grove for tea. I was thinking of retrieving Her Majesty's cloak first and then going with Madam! I didn't expect that Madam would be here, which saved me a lot of trouble."

Feixia, dressed in a light purple palace maid's gown, looked beautiful despite her young age. She spoke with a smile, revealing two dimples that appeared after being pecked by butterflies.

Both were Consort Rong's personal maids, but Fei Yun was quiet and didn't talk much, unlike Fei Xia who was quick-witted.

But perhaps because they had been with Consort Rong for so long, both maids had become quite endearing. Yan Ning smiled gently at Fei Xia, "If I ever have a daughter as clever and charming as Miss Fei Xia, she will surely have inherited Fei Xia's ethereal beauty!"

Upon hearing this, Feixia immediately shook her head and said, "Madam, you would never dare to speak so carelessly. Miss Fucha is of noble status, how could I possibly speak with her?"

Yan Ning thought about it for a moment, and it was indeed inappropriate. If Consort Rong heard this, she would surely reprimand Fei Xia.

In the flower garden and peach grove, Consort Rong was still leisurely drinking tea, as if the incident at the pavilion earlier was merely a figment of Yan Ning's imagination. To suit the occasion, Consort Rong was reclining in a bamboo-woven chair, and even the short-legged table was made of bamboo. The chair was unstable, so Consort Rong ordered someone to bring a round chair made of rosewood for Yan Ning.

Feixia tried to cover Consort Rong with the cloak, but Consort Rong waved her hand to stop her.

The apricot blossoms outside Xinghua Chun Pavilion had all fallen, yet there was no sign of fruit. Yan Ning took a sip of the sour plum drink from her small jade porcelain cup and looked at Consort Rong, "Your Majesty, why are these apricot trees not bearing fruit?"

Consort Rong slowly sipped the green tea in the blue-and-white porcelain gaiwan. The smoky blue bowl was shrouded in mist, and the green tea at the bottom of the spring water made the spring water in the gaiwan appear even more emerald green.

The silver brocade she wore looked rather flimsy in the gentle summer breeze of the apricot grove.

Yan Ning glanced back at Fei Xia, who stood behind the two holding a cloak. That brocade cloak must have been something Fei Xia had taken the initiative to retrieve herself. Seeing Fei Xia's meticulous care for Consort Rong, Yan Ning thought of Zhu Xiang. Several months had passed. She had seen Zhao Xing once, but had no chance to see Zhu Xiang.

Thinking this, Yan Ning recalled that there were no people from the Zhuo family in Consort Rong's palace, not even her dowry maids. Perhaps she had a son who had died. Regardless of whether she had one before, Yan Ning hadn't seen him since her last visit to the palace. She now understood that Consort Rong's longing for her hometown and relatives far outweighed the chill of the summer breeze.

Consort Rong remained silent for a long time. Yan Ning's thoughts raced, and she remembered that she had no children. She panicked slightly, "Your Majesty, I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me!"

Consort Rong put down the covered bowl, her expression calm. She looked at Yan Ning. "Then I ask you, where did you go wrong?"

Yan Ning shook her head; she truly didn't know what she had said wrong. It was just that having stayed in the palace for so long, she had picked up the palace's atmosphere, where servants had to admit their faults first whenever their master was unhappy.

Consort Rong said gently, "Since you know you are innocent, what crime are you admitting to! You've been in the Fucha mansion for so long, how come you haven't learned the old lady Fucha's aloof and proud spirit!"

Seeing that Consort Rong had spoken first, Yan Ning became bolder, "Does Your Majesty know why the Emperor left his seat in a hurry today after seeing the jade hairpin in my hair?"

Instead of answering, Consort Rong asked, "The Fucha family has many fine things. Although that jade hairpin is made of top-quality jade, aren't you surprised? Why did they find an unskilled jade craftsman to carve it and ruin it, wasting the jade for nothing?"